Book Review: Weather Witch

Author: Shannon Delany

Publication Date: June 25, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Series: Weather Witch # 1

In a vastly different and darker Philadelphia of 1844, steam power has been repressed, war threatens from deep, dark waters, and one young lady of high social standing is expecting a surprise at her seventeenth birthday party–but certainly not the one she gets!

Jordan Astraea, who has lived out all of her life in Philadelphia’s most exclusive neighborhood, is preparing to celebrate her birthday with friends, family and all the extravagance they might muster. The young man who is most often her dashing companion, Rowen Burchette, has told her a surprise awaits her and her best friend, Catrina Hollindale, wouldn’t miss this night for all the world!

But storm clouds are gathering and threatening to do far more than dampen her party plans because someone in the Astraea household has committed the greatest of social sins by Harboring a Weather Witch.

“Perfection, like beauty, must be worked at in order to be obtained. You do not work as hard as you should.”

 

Catrina had once remarked that a beautiful lady could never have too many mirrors.

 

Promising herself to Rowen was only a gain to him. And a misstep could be dangerous to rank – a badly planned marriage, a social faux pas, magick discovered in one’s heritage…many things could send a family hurtling toward ruin. But magick – it was the worst – it was a nearly inescapable taint and the only thing that did more than ruin a family’s reputation. Magick was even worse than being a Catholic in Philadelphia.

 

“Should not all angels sparkly beyond mortal means? If Jordan judges her to be angelic, I second the notion, for there is no lady here closer to heavenly than our own Jordan Astraea.”

Jordan Astraea is about to turn seventeen and is surrounded by her best friends and family on the evening of her huge birthday celebration. She has been told many times how important her rank and beauty are to her life and social standing in society. Rowen, the boy who has had her heart since her earlier years, is below her rank but Jordan cannot bear to think about parting with him just yet. Catrina, Jordan’s so called best friend, reminds Jordan just who she is and where she comes from often enough. In the society that these girls live in, rank is everything, and if you do not come from a formidable rank then you have nothing. This is why everyone is surprised when on Jordan’s seventeenth birthday she is called out as a weather witch, the lowest rank there is. Jordan and her family know this must be a misunderstanding or just an outright lie because no one in her family has ever shown any signs of witchcraft. Jordan’s entire life and existence comes crashing down right before her eyes as she is whisked away from her family and those she loves.


I was greatly impressed with the society that Delany presents to us in her new novel/series. The idea of a weather witch was phenomenal and highly intriguing, especially to someone like me who loves witches and the supernatural. The only problem that I had with this book was the fact that the world building was so large and important that I felt like I was in information overload. Sometimes while reading I found myself confused as to what Delany was referring to. For example, when Jordan first states that she is Fifth of the Nine, I thought maybe this had something to do with being a witch, but I later found out that this refers to rank. This all eventually came together as I read on, but I would have liked to been informed of everything up front.

 

I loved Rowen’s character as well as Jordan’s character. I was somewhat eerie at first regarding Jordan, mainly because I thought she would be just like her spoiled friend Catrina, but I was surprisingly shocked at how she turned out. I knew that Jordan had a good heart whenever she was questioning her relationship with Rowen. She knew that rank was important, but she couldn’t bear the thought of hurting him. Catrina was an exceptional character as well, even though I did not care for her. However, I think this was the point in this story. Delany can write cunning, mischievous, and brats, and she can write them well! And trust me that is a compliment!

 

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for my honest review***